NEWS AND NOTES:
-Michigan State got a battle from Northwestern and had to come from behind, but they picked up another nice road win and remain well within the protected seed range. It was a missed opportunity for a Northwestern team who could have made a splash on the national stage and put themselves well in the NCAA Tournament discussion had they picked up the win. The silver lining for the Wildcats is that they’ll have plenty more chances.
-Houston had to sweat against Temple, but they did get the win. Still, losing two key players looks like it will have a long term impact.
-Iona really had to sweat out Marist at home, but held on to win 69-66. Any loss for the Gaels would be extremely costly, so it’s good they held on.
-For the second time this season I believe I am done with Richmond. They needed the win at Saint Louis yesterday and couldn’t get it done. SLU has had a good year despite being hurt by injuries, but they still have some work to do.
-Indiana could have really used a road win. They appeared to have a winnable road game at Penn State. Indiana did not get the win. That’s the kind of road win tournament teams are expected to be able to win, so in that sense the loss hurts.
-Louisville has strung together a few wins and appears to be building themselves back up. They still have a lot of building to do, which means they still have a lot of work to do, but beating Wake Forest at home and picking up a road win at Georgia Tech isn’t a bad week.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-At the time I’m writing this, five games have been either cancelled or postponed.
-WISCONSIN AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Purdue is on a path to a #1 seed, which means to stay on that path they basically need to win every game. Wisconsin is having a good year, but could boost their resume through the roof if they’re able to pull off the upset tonight.
-WASHINGTON AT ARIZONA (Pac 12). Arizona looks like a solid protected seed, and Washington looks like a team that would struggle in the Big Sky. It’s a conference game, but it could end up looking a lot like a buy game.
-MARYLAND AT IOWA (Big Ten). Iowa has some decent credentials, but has room to improve. This is a game they should win, and their resume will take a bit of a hit if they don’t.
-COLORADO AT OREGON (Pac 12). Oregon has a lot of potential, but they haven’t played up to it yet and still have a ton of work to do. As for Colorado, this would be a nice road win for them if they’re able to pull it off.